The NHL is investigating whether Marian Hossaâ€™s new 12-year, $62.8-million (all terms US) contract with the Blackhawks circumvents the collective bargaining agreement and the salary cap, Sun Media has learned.

The â€™Hawks could be facing a maximum fine of $5 million and the loss of draft picks if the leagueâ€™s investigation uncovers proof of allegations that Chicago discussed the possibility of Hossa retiring before the end of the deal, which would end Hossaâ€™s cap hit.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the investigation in an e-mail yesterday, stating that league officials are concerned with the structure of the contract.

What it boils down to is Hossaâ€™s cap hit over the 12 years is $5.23 million a season, but for the first seven years, heâ€™ll make $7.9 million a season before dropping to $4 million in 2016-17.

Itâ€™s the final four years of the deal that have the NHL up in arms as Hossa is scheduled to earn $3.5 million, period.

If Hossa were to retire after the eighth season, the $5.23-million cap hit would disappear, too.

â€œWeâ€™re trying to understand how it was negotiated and whether the intent and effect is to circumvent the cap,â€ wrote Daly.

â€œThis was the first of the long-term contracts that took a player out past the age 40 and the value of the contract in its â€˜out yearsâ€™ was dramatically lower than its early years.

â€œWe want to know if the possibility of player retirement was ever discussed or even contemplated.â€

â€œThe NHL is looking to put a damper on these 10-plus-year contracts with throwaway years tacked on at the end,â€ a league executive said last night. â€œThey are building a strong case against Chicago to make an example of them.

"This issue wonâ€™t just go away. Lots of other GMs are supporting the league here.â€

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agreed, good luck proving those retirement discussions ever came up. . . but if they do prove it, more financial hell for a team who spent $62M+ for a guy who might give them 1/3 to 1/2 of a season, had to re-sign RFA's at UFA money, overpaying in bonuses for the upcoming year, and probably going to lose 1 or 2 of their young, core players. . . Hawks better make this year worth it, but I think they already have. . .they have Kopecky

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agreed, good luck proving those retirement discussions ever came up. . . but if they do prove it, more financial hell for a team who spent $62M+ for a guy who might give them 1/3 to 1/2 of a season, had to re-sign RFA's at UFA money, overpaying in bonuses for the upcoming year, and probably going to lose 1 or 2 of their young, core players. . . Hawks better make this year worth it, but I think they already have. . .they have Kopecky

I still think the NHL is going to really put it to them, I mean they are going to try and make an example of Chi. That to me means they are really going to try and stick it to them. GOOD!

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agreed, good luck proving those retirement discussions ever came up. . . but if they do prove it, more financial hell for a team who spent $62M+ for a guy who might give them 1/3 to 1/2 of a season, had to re-sign RFA's at UFA money, overpaying in bonuses for the upcoming year, and probably going to lose 1 or 2 of their young, core players. . . Hawks better make this year worth it, but I think they already have. . .they have Kopecky

He's missing the first 25% of the season. That's hardly someone who "might give them 1/3 to 1/2 of a season".

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Sometimes I think we've got the wrong people running these front offices. They know the technical aspect of coming to work and wearing the suit and knowing who to talk to and what to say....but when it comes down to it, I think the previous couple of seasons are proof that complicated mathematical figures confuse the f*** out of these men. Alot of folks online are sports knowitalls and everyone has an opinion but I think we can all agree even the smartest ones would be in over their head running a sports team-but in this case, just from a math and sensible decision standpoint, I think there are some people much more qualified than some of these schmuck GMs to make moves like this.

Sports in general, needs to drop the whole attitude of giving office jobs to ex players, just because they were players. Because that's NOT A GOOD ENOUGH REASON. Cripes, the NFL has done this so badly they've completely f***ed up most of the league from a talent building perspective. The sport is practically inbred. I won`t even start on how bad it is in the southern states. I half expect to see Leatherface on the sideline. Yet they're so insanely successful in spite of it, no one does anything. The color guys, the analysts, a ton of writers, too many coaches and a wack of GMs are all ex players and are as stupid as rocks, and they don't even have a real cap to deal with(just look at the DHB situation in Oakland).

Now look at the NHL-we can't succeed like the NFL can in spite of stupidity like this and we certainly, and quite obviously, have a more complicated and tight cap to work with. And a league that is actual competition. So unless owners start hiring GMs who can actually work with the salary cap, a load of teams are going to be going south for a good while and it`ll be easy to see coming. Tallon`s firing was easier to spot a mile away than a two mile long meteor.

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So lets say the nhl comes to the conclusion that the hawks are ******* with the cap with the structure of the contract. how will they go about negating hossa's contract? do they make them restructure the deal?.... any thoughts?

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Wow, the difference between deals of Hossa, Z, and Mule are not that far apart. We must have been real close to being investigated if they decided to try and work over Hossa....

I think Z and Franzen just set the ball rolling. They were the first of their kind in some ways to sign such deals. I wasn't so surprised about Franzen's slipping under but I was a bit surprised about Z's not taking more heat. I had a feeling they'd get away with it, but I also had a feeling that the league would do all they could to prevent such deals in the future. That looks to indeed be the case at this point.

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â€œWeâ€™re trying to understand how it was negotiated and whether the intent and effect is to circumvent the cap,â€ wrote Daly.

Of course they were trying to circumvent the cap! Thats why teams sign players to these long term contracts!

*shakes head*

Honestly, the stupidity of this league never ceases to amaze me. What Chicago, Detroit etc do with these long-term contracts is within the rules - exploiting clauses in them to their own benefit - but within the rules neverthless. If the league doesn't like it, instead of making themselves look stupid, how about tightening the rules next time the CBA comes up for renewal.

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Of course they were trying to circumvent the cap! Thats why teams sign players to these long term contracts!

*shakes head*

Honestly, the stupidity of this league never ceases to amaze me. What Chicago, Detroit etc do with these long-term contracts is within the rules - exploiting clauses in them to their own benefit - but within the rules neverthless. If the league doesn't like it, instead of making themselves look stupid, how about tightening the rules next time the CBA comes up for renewal.

Or go with a soft cap. NVM.

I agree with everything you said though. Of course the Hawks and Hossa had a good idea that he probably wouldn't live out the end of that contract.

I just don't see how they can punish the Hawks w/o proving they did indeed do this.

Edited July 31, 2009 by rage

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I can see the NHL top brass at the big meeting table saying, "Damn, we've been outsmarted again. Let's fine someone for being smarter than us. That should fix 'em but good. And we'll make it the Hawks, because they were our next poster team and they've made asses of themselves and they're still smarter than us." "And see if they play a Sunday matinee on NBC, not now they won't. Teach them to be smart." :flamingmad:

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